Punch-press guard



B. D. RHODES.

PUNCH PRESS GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, I921- Pateht'ed May 16,1922.

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BENJAMIN D. RHODES, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

PUNCH-PRESS GUARD.

Application filed November 29, 1921.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, BENJAMIN D. RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Punch- Press Guards and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to punch press guards, and more particularly to a'guard for preventing injury to the operator of a punch press.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide simple and eiiicie-nt means whereby the operator of a punch press is prevented from placing his hand beneath the punch during the punching operation so as to be injured thereby.

A further object is to provide a guardof simple construction and operation which may be readily applied to a punch press of standard construction without necessitating any material changes in the press structure itself.

further object is to provide a guard so constructed as to permit the operator of the press to easily view the work being placed beneath the punch, this guard acting upon descent of the punch to move the operators hand from beneath the punch. I

Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of the upper portion of a punch press of standard construction with a guard constructed in accordance with my invention applied, the position which the elements of the guard occupy when the punch is in lowered position being indicated by broken lines.

Figure 2 is a side view of the guard in inoperative or folded condition, the supporting bracket therefor being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a detail of the means for securing the operating links of the guard to the operating blockof the press.

My invention is adapted to be applied to a press of any suitable or standard construction provided with a punch spindle block B slidable between uprights C and reciprocated through the medium of a crank shaft Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11.6, 1922.

Serial No. 518,590.

D connected to the block by an eccentric strap connection designated generally by E, the shaft being rotated by a pulley F driven from any suitable power source. The crank shaft may be thrown into and outof operation by a suitable clutch structure designated generally by G controlled by a foot lever rod H and bell crank lever I in the usual manner, though any other suitable means for throwing the press into and out of operation may be employed, as will be understood. The block B carries a depending spindle upon which'is secured a punch chuck J carrying a punch K which is adapted to operate upon sheet metal or other suitable material passed over the punch head L transversely of the press! structure. The press so far described is of standard construction and forms no part of my invention except in so far as it cooperates with the means to be hereinafter described to accomplish the desired result.

In carrying my invention into effect, I

secure a vertically disposed supporting and extends transversely of the press structure a short distance below the supporting member 1. This bracket receives bell crank levers 3 which are pivoted at their angles thereon for rocking movement about a common axis, these levers being positioned on opposite sides of the bracket. The shorter arms of the bell crank levers are disposed at an obtuse angle to the longer arms 4, these shorter arms being directed upwardly and the longer arms being directed downwardly from the bracket. "Each of the longer arms 4 is provided at its lower end with an integral substantially semi-circular element 5, the lower end portion of which is straightened and directed downwardly in substantial alinement with the arms 4 to pro vide a wiping element 6. The upper end of each of the shorter arms of the bell crank levers is connected by a link 7 to the supporting member 1 adjacent the upper end thereof, as at 8. As will be noted, the a'rcuate elements 5 of the arms 4 of the bell cranks, when these arms are in substantial vertical position, form a circular frame slightly above and in advance of the head ll so as to permit work placed thereon to be easily viewed by an operator standing in front of the press. Also, he depending wiping members 6 extend downwardly be yond and in front of this head. 7

As will be noted from Figure 1 of the drawings, when the punch is in raised position, the arms 4 of the guard are in overlapping or folded position so as to permit the work to be operated upon to be readily inserted transversely of the press across the punch head L. When the press is thrown into operation and the block B is moved downwardly so as to operate the punch and bring it into engagement with the material, the links 7 will rock the shorter arms of the bell cranks .3 downwardly and inwardly swinging the longer arms 1- outwardly, the wiping elements 6 of these longer arms acting to engage the arms of the operator so as to withdraw his hand from beneath the punch K and the chuck J therefor. In this manner, the guard acts automatically to removethe operators hands from beneath the punch and associated parts so as to eliminate all danger of injury to the operator and, when in inoperative or folded condi tion, this guard permits the operator to readily view the work which he is placing upon the punch head. Also, in the event that the press repeats, that is the punch is lowered again before the work has been moved across the punch head for punching the next hole, the guard will act in the same manner to throw the operators hand from beneath the punch thus protecting him against injury.

This guard may be readily applied to a punch press of standard construction without necessitating any changes in the press structure itself and is, for this reason, deemed very practical.

It will be evident that there may be slight changes made in the construction and arrangement of the different parts of my invention without departing from the field and scope of the same, and I intend to include all such variations, fall within the scope of the appended claims, in this application in which a preferred form only of my invention is disclosed.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with a punch press including an operating block and a punch head positioned beneath the same, of a pair of guard members rockably supported by the frame of the press and extending downwardly in front of the punch head, each of said members being provided adjacent its lower end with an outwardly directed frame element, said frame elements cooperating when the guard members are in inoperative position to provide a frame through which an operator standing in front of the press may view work placed on the punch head, the lower portion of each of said frame elements being ext-ended to provide a wiping element, and means for rocking said guard members about their common axis when the block is reciprocated so as toswing said members transversely of the press in opposite directions when the block is lowered, the guard members being moved into substantial vertical position when the block is raised.

2. The combination with a punch press including a reciprocable operating block and a punch head positioned in alinement therewith, of bell crank levers rockably supported by the press frame for movement about a common axis, the lower arms of said levers being extended and provided at their lower ends with oppositely directed substantially semicircular frame elements and wiping elements extending therefrom, said frame elements cooperating to form a substantially circular frame in front of the punch head when the longer arms of said crank levers are in vertical position so as to permit work placed upon said punch head to be-viewed by an operator standing in front of the press, and connections between said bell crank levers and the operating block for rocking said lovers in such direction as to swing the lower arms thereof outwardly away from each other when the block descends and for swinging said arms inwardly toward each other into substantial vertical position when the block is raised.

3. The combination with a punch press including a reeiprocable operating block and a punch head positioned beneath the same, of a bracket secured to the frame of said press and extending transversely thereof, a pair of bell crank lever-s pivotally mounted on said bracket for rocking movement about a common axis, the upper arms of said levers being directed upwardly and outwardly in opposite directions and the lower arms of the levers being extended and each provided adjacent its lower end with an outwardly directed substantially semi-circular frame member and a wiping element depending therefrom, the semi-circular frame members of the arms cooperating to produce a substantially circular frame in front of the punch head when the said arms are in vertical position so as to permit work placed upon said head to be readily viewed by an operator standing in front of the press.

4. The combination in a machine having a movable tool mechanism, guard elements for normal disposition in substantially overlapping relation, said guard elements being separable through actuation of said mechanism, said elements having wiping portions to move the operators hands from an unsafe position during said actuation, and one of said elements having a frame portion de &

against the inner surface of the other of said arms, a supporting element on and movable With said tool mechanism, and 15 means pivoting said links together and to said supporting element.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

BENJAMIN D. RHODES.

Witnesses:

CHESTER B. ROBERTS, ALLEN J. ROBERTS. 

